The tricity’s weekly Covid-19 tally remained above the 100-mark for the third consecutive week with as many as 146 fresh infections reported in the week ending on December 26. This is the highest weekly tally seen in the city since the second wave started receding in July.
In Chandigarh, the effect of increased public gatherings and complacency among people in following Covid-19 protocols during election campaigning, festivities and marriage events, can easily be seen with the city contributing majority of the cases this week too.
The case tally of Chandigarh and Mohali didn’t see any major change this week. Chandigarh reported 71 cases this week, against 70 last week while in Mohali, the case tally was 34, against 35 last week. Panchkula, however, saw an uptick from 31 cases last week to 41 cases this week.
On December 25 alone, the tricity reported 36 cases which was the highest single-day tally in five-months.
In the previous week, tricity had reported 136 cases, besides three fatalities. The fatalities dropped to two this week, with Mohali and Chandigarh reporting one death each.
During the peak of the pandemic in May, the tricity had recorded 46,245 cases and 790 deaths in just a month. The curve started flattening thereon though the weekly cases kept fluctuating. After the second wave ended, the weekly tally had never crossed the 100-mark until the week ending on November 29, which saw 109 infections. In the following week, the tally saw a 15% dip with 93 cases, but then spiked again to 126 in the week ending on December 12 and was followed by 136 cases in the subsequent week.
{{/usCountry}}During the peak of the pandemic in May, the tricity had recorded 46,245 cases and 790 deaths in just a month. The curve started flattening thereon though the weekly cases kept fluctuating. After the second wave ended, the weekly tally had never crossed the 100-mark until the week ending on November 29, which saw 109 infections. In the following week, the tally saw a 15% dip with 93 cases, but then spiked again to 126 in the week ending on December 12 and was followed by 136 cases in the subsequent week.
{{/usCountry}}Omicron an added worry, say experts
Dr Suman Singh, director, health services, Chandigarh, said, “We had election rallies in Chandigarh this month, besides festivities and marriage events. These crowded gatherings are now inviting a surge in cases. Since Chandigarh has already reported three Omicron cases, with one of the patients still infected, it is an additional cause of worry for us. People must follow basic rules like wearing a mask, maintaining social distance and getting vaccinated against the disease as it will control the transmission.”
Dr Girish Dogra, district immunisation officer, Mohali, said, “In the wake of Omicron cases being reported in the tricity and across the country, we have started sending all Covid-19 positive samples for genome sequencing at National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), Delhi, to check for the variant of concern. Since Omicron is believed to be more transmissible than other variants, it can be a cause of concern.”